BFGoodrich NHRA Sport Compact Nationals - Atco, New Jersey

Then it was George Ioannou vs. Manny Cruz. Manny reacted slowly (.688 vs. George's .475) from the right lane and got out of the groove. He saw George having problems and got back into the throttle. The Cougar reared back, ears pinned, teeth showing, and the game was afoot. The car got sideways. Manny missed the right-side wall and almost caught the car. After trying to roll, it hooked and shot across the track, slamming into the wall and shooting flames on the track.

Manny was out of the car before the rescue crew was there. After some debate, Abel Ibarra completed Sunday's action with a single pass.

Eliminations Continued - Monday
In All Motor, it came down to the favorites-Scheepers and Mohler. Scheepers won 10.34 to 10.45. The Modified class went as predicted, though Team Venom was inactive because the crew had go back to work on Monday. Cesar Febus blasted a 7.88 in the semis and needed a big number as his foe Vinny Ten laid down an 8.008. In the finals, Febus' 7.95 was too much for Carlos Perez and his Puerto Rican-style 1982 RX-7 (8.88). In Pro FWD, Rado and Hoyos hooked up in the finals. Hoyos put down a smooth 8.83, while Rado had shifting problems and faded.

The high drama of the event was in Turbo Magazine Hot Rod and Pro RWD, but for two very different reasons. In Hot Rod, the competition was close. In round two, Marty Ladwig fired a solo 9.03; Mike Crawford did better with an 8.92 and Jojo Callos and Lance Ho Lung hooked up in an epic battle. Ho Lung and the HP Racing Civic beat Callos' Castrol Integra 8.83 to 8.93.

In the semifinals, Ho Lung lined up against Crawford. Crawford got the jump with .526 to .553 in his Mopar Neon, but Ho Lung's top-end fury prevailed with an 8.91 to 8.97 in a very close race. Ladwig had a Bye into the final, but put down an 8.69 in his Bothwell/GM Racing Sunfire to send a message. In the final, only Ladwig could keep the 8s flowing as he grabbed the Wally 8.75 to 9.15.

It was a different kind of race in Pro RWD. Abel Ibarra in the K&N Filters RX-7 and Matt Hartford in the Summit Cavalier were both wounded going into the money race. This contest would be settled from the burnout box to the beams, not down the 1320. Ibarra suffered from a compromised apex seal, while Hartford had a damaged valvetrain. Both cars limped through the burnout box, then the Summit Cavalier began leaking fluid and was shut off. Abel got his Mazda to the line staged and left before the tree was activated, taking the win because he survived about 20 feet more than Hartford.

Weather wreaked havoc on racers, fans and lowly magazine edit heads at The BFGoodrich Sport Compact Nationals, but the usual hard-core action and big numbers prevailed, along with a soap opera cliffhanger in the Pro RWD.